Bigger and better than last year, 1UP 2020 is a three day celebration of video games in Kortrijk Xpo, bringing together professionals and enthusiasts from around the country and beyond. If you haven’t marked February 21 until February 23 in your calendars yet, then here’s a couple of reasons to make you whip out that big red marker.

1UP Conference, kicking off at 12.30 on February 21, is the place to be for industry professionals and people interested in game creation. A range of (inter)national speakers will share valuable insights on a range of different games industry topics. There’s also no more overlapping sessions like last year, so you’ll be able to attend each and every talk.

Highlight sessions include:

• FLEGA co-founder Wim Wouters on the rise and fall of his studio Grin and the future with Poppins & Wayne.
• Spencer Low of Larian Studios will detail how the Belgian studio was able to obtain the rights to the legendary Baldur’s Gate franchise.
• Veteran writer Susan O’Connor on how to write dialog players don’t want to skip, develop interesting characters, and keep your overall sanity as a game writer.
• The tax shelter for games is still on the horizon, but there are already plenty of fiscal incentives in place today; Arne Ottoy and Hendrik Putman will tell you all about it.
• And there are several other breakout sessions about IP and royalties (FlandersDC and Andries Hofkens) and the future of Unity (Fabrice L’Eté).

Need a break from all this glorious wisdom? Come and check out the games of the Belgian Game Awards nominees who will be playable all day throughout the conference.

The first day of 1UP 2020 is capped off with a VIP dinner and the Belgian Game Awards ceremony. It’s going to be an amazing show, and you shouldn’t miss it. There’s an afterparty to celebrate, but don’t party too hard into the night, as there’s still two more days of expo goodness awaiting.

1UP Expo is open Saturday February 22 from 10 until 19 and Sunday February 23 from 10 until 17, and you’ll need that time to experience everything the event has on offer. From esports competitions, retro gaming fun and a virtual reality zone to cosplay, live streaming and even some bouncy castles for the smallest among us, the event promises loads of fun for the whole family.

Of course you’ll also get the chance to play some promising Belgian games, such as Rise of Humanity, Ghost on the Shore, Nanotale, Cannibal Cuisine or Trifox. Over in VR land you can also give Belgian creations Deisim, Panoptic and Journey for Elysium a go.

If you’re frantically circling the dates in your calendar right now, it’s good to know that tickets for all of these events can be found here. It’s even better that FLEGA members get a 10% discount on everything (bar student offers) using the code 1UP_BELGIAN_GAMES

After a succesful maiden event, 1UP 2020 is promising to become even better this year. The organisation expects to double the number of visitors, so we hope you can spread the word and we’ll see many of you there.